UN rapporteur calls on Aung San Suu Ki to step in to protect the Rohingya minority

Sept 4, Myanmar: The UN's special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar,Yanghee Lee on Monday, criticised Aung San Suu Kyi, for failing to protect the Rohingya Muslim minority.

According to Lee the situation in Rakhine was "really grave" and it was time for Ms Suu Kyi to "step in" Her comments came as the number of Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh reached 87,000, according to UN estimates. That is more than the exodus after the October 2016 violence in Rakhine.Satellite images show many fires across northern parts of the state, and Human Rights Watch has released an image which it says shows that more than 700 homes were razed in one Rohingya village.The military says it is fighting a campaign against Rohingya militants who are attacking civilians. Independently verifying the situation on the ground is very difficult because access is restricted.

Lee said the scale of the destruction this time, compared to October, was "far greater"."The de facto leader needs to step in - that is what we would expect from any government, to protect everybody within their own jurisdiction," she said.